I am Spider-Man
by Freckled Angel 11
Summary: Takes place 5 yrs after my story "His Weak Spot." Peter has come a long way since a trio of criminals made him feel weak. When Captain Jenkins of the NYPD returns to ask for help, Peter is more than willing to repay him for his kindness. Jenkins' grandson has been taken, and God help the criminals who have to answer to Spider-Man for what they have done. ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

**A/N: I'm back! This idea wouldn't leave me alone, so I hope you like it. This takes place after my previous story "His Weak Spot." It is five years after the incident in the bank. This is an AU in which the Infinity War disaster happened only months after Peter was rescued in that story. I explain a little of what the Avengers are up to in this future fic, but the focus will mainly be on Peter's character growth and development as a hero. In this fic, Tony and Pepper live in Avenger's tower, which will act as a center of intelligence for the Avengers as well. The rest of the Avengers mainly reside and train at the compound. There will be more details throughout the story, but again... the focus will mainly be on Peter and the evolution of his relationship with Tony. All recognizable characters belong to Marvel, but Captain Jenkins and his family members belong to me. Please enjoy... and don't forget to leave your feedback in a review. **

**Warning for some Infinity War SPOILERS**

**This can be read alone, but it will make MUCH more sense if you read "His Weak Spot" first. **

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PROLOGUE: Only You Can Help

It had been five years since the day Peter was made to feel weak at Queen's National Bank. Five years since he felt the white hot pain of not one but two gunshot wounds. Five years since he learned that the enemy loves to make their victim feel powerless. He learned that violence used to make the enemy feel powerful comes in many forms... with harsh and humiliating words, with painful blows from hands and feet, with damaging weapons, or even with physical advances or sexual abuse. Regardless of the method used, the enemy always wants power. Peter knew this now. At 21 years old, Peter felt like he had learned so much about the villains he faced, big and small. And it always seemed to come back to power and control.

Peter and the others that disappeared couldn't remember the first outcome in the battle with Thanos. Tony had opened up to Peter about most of it, and he told Peter about how he and Steve Rogers used time travel, with the help of Ant-Man and Captain Marvel, to go back and undo the damage that Thanos had done. Tony often had a haunted look in his eyes when he told Peter the story, and he was never really able to explain the part about Peter fading away. That little bit of information came from Nebula, one of the aliens that had been present on Titan when it happened. She, like Tony and other Avengers left behind, remembered the previous timeline and had no qualms about giving Peter the full details. It made him sad to think about how horrifying it must have been for Mr. Stark to watch someone close to him disappear right before his eyes.

Peter supposed this was probably the reason why Tony sacrificed so much to set things right. It was supposed to be Carol Danvers who used the new Infinity Gauntlet to get back those who were lost and reset the timeline. However, Thanos had managed to get the upper hand with Captain Marvel, and Tony used the gauntlet himself. Many of his nanobots were fried as they rallied to protect him and repair any damage, but it hadn't been enough. Tony's left arm was destroyed after wielding the gauntlet. Dr. Cho had tried to repair the damage, but it was just too much. In the end, Tony created a new arm for himself. The arm was almost advanced enough to be as realistic as one of Vision's arms. As a matter of fact, few people were even aware that Tony had a synthetic arm at all. In many ways, Mr. Stark was fully capable of maintaining his Iron Man persona; however, Pepper Potts had other plans for him.

After the battle with Thanos, Tony Stark finally took a step back and put himself in the "Avengers Reserve" as he liked to call it. He remained a part of the team, but he chose to engineer and support the team more behind-the-scenes. This allowed him to focus on another role in his life, and he became both a husband to Pepper and a father to their child. Not even a year after Thanos' defeat, Peter became a "big brother" to Morgan Stanlee Stark, an adorable little boy who was the spitting image of his father. Peter was thrilled. He always knew, from personal experience, that Tony Stark had a fatherly side to him. It was just exciting to see Tony get the opportunity to be a father to someone who wasn't already a teenager. He spoiled Morgan and took the little boy with him everywhere, patiently helping the little guy learn new things about every place they visited.

Yes... life had changed a lot in five years. The fear and weakness Peter had felt in that bank were now a distant memory replaced by memories of newer challenges that had shaped Peter into an incredible superhero and a valuable member of the New Avengers. Captain Marvel was now at the helm, and Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner joined Tony in the "Reserves," assisting Carol Danvers with mission strategies and intelligence. Bucky, Sam, Natasha, and Clint were valuable assets in the Avenger's Intelligence Squad. They gathered the difficult intel that no one else could retrieve. It seemed that most of the Avengers that were spared in the first fight against Thanos were content to take on less active roles these days (except for Bucky Barnes). Barnes didn't have any interest in an active role since he had enough activity from years as a brain-washed hydra assassin. Vision and Wanda remained active alongside of Ant-Man, The Wasp, and Spider-Man. Thor and Black Panther took on leadership roles alongside of Captain Marvel, and the Guardians and Dr. Strange also made an appearance whenever they were needed.

So much had happened in five years, and people stopped paying attention to the young man named Peter Parker who had been held hostage at the bank. No one worried about the Stark Intern. Peter Parker didn't seem like someone worth remembering or thinking about. Therefore, Spider-Man's identity was protected. The newly ratified Accords did not require the heroes to disclose their identities, so Peter was able to protect May and his friends from his enemies.

When Spider-Man wasn't needed, Peter Parker was just another student at MIT. As a matter of fact, Tony made sure that Peter was able to focus on his studies as much as possible. The brilliant young man couldn't make a living as Spider-Man (or so he was told), so Tony wanted him to have something else that he could use to make a life for himself.

When it came to the team, the Avengers only called Spider-Man in when it was absolutely necessary. The Avengers wanted to help reduce and discourage any evil or corruption all together. The dream was for the Avengers to help build a better and safer world. The problem with dreams is that they were... just dreams. A beautiful idea that is kept just out of reach... something that would likely never be a reality. However, the Avengers sought to be ready for anything that might come their way. Any villain, big or small, needed to beware of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

There were also plenty of things that did not change in these five years. Any guess as to what stays the same? No matter how much time goes by, there are still those who are power-hungry. There are still selfish beings seeking only to elevate themselves and have control over others; people who wish to strike down the helpless. Most villains these days wished to avoid the Mighty Avengers and fly under their radar. These selfish, power-seeking criminals also believed the Avengers would be too busy to pay attention to their schemes anyway. They targeted the average civilian and kept law enforcement agencies as busy as ever.

And so, it was for this reason that Captain Steve Jenkins of the NYPD returned to Avenger's Tower five years to the day that Peter Parker was struck down at Queen's National Bank.

Normally, Captain Jenkins only came to the tower when invited. Tony liked to share new toys with law enforcement agencies these days, and Captain Jenkins was often a liaison between the NYPD and the Avengers. But it was still unheard of for the captain to show up unexpectedly. Therefore, Tony was surprised when FRIDAY informed him of the police captain's arrival. Peter was home from MIT on spring break, and he was taking the day to catch up with Tony, Pepper, and little Morgan.

Peter was helping Morgan put together some Legos when he heard the AI say, "Sir, Captain Steve Jenkins is in the lobby requesting an urgent meeting."

Even five years later, Peter was very aware of the day, and the name of the captain sent chills down his spine as he recalled feeling helpless inside of the bank. Peter looked in Tony's direction, and he could tell that the older man was experiencing some of the same flashbacks. For a moment, Peter wondered if the captain was bringing news that one of the men who hurt him had escaped... but then shook his head at the thought. He had come a long way since that day, and those men and their names no longer held any real fear for Spider-Man. If those men were smart, they would stay far away from Spider-Man.

"Cap'n Steve!" Morgan squealed with excitement, thinking FRIDAY was referring to Captain America.

"No, buddy," Tony told his son, "This is a different Captain Steve. This one, believe it or not, is younger than Grandpa Spangles!"

Peter stood up to make his way over to Tony's side. At 21, Peter was now at his full height with broader shoulders. The once nerdy teenager was now fully grown into a handsome man, who turned the heads of many a passerby. He now looked to be very much the part of a formidable hero.

Tony's heart swelled at the sight of his "sons." He felt grateful to have both boys in his life. He thought it was bad enough five years ago when he _NEARLY_ lost Peter. However, literally watching Peter turn to dust months later was infinitely worse. _"Ha! Infinitely!"_ Tony thought, ruefully, _"Damn those infinity stones!" _

Peter was again beginning to see signs of that haunted look in the eyes of his father-figure. Before he could ask him anything or comment about it, Steve Jenkins was stepping off of the elevator to meet them.

Morgan and the two superheroes in the room looked up at the police captain. The smiles Peter and Tony had on their faces to greet the man instantly faded when they took in the older man's appearance. Steve Jenkins looked more than a little disheveled, and the dark circles under his eyes were tell-tale signs of a lack of sleep.

"Dat man doesn't look younger than Gandpa Spangles!" Morgan scolded his father, feeling certain he was being teased.

Captain Jenkins' gaze fell to the little boy on the floor who was surrounded by Legos. No doubt the little boy with dark brown curls and brown eyes reminded him of his own grandson when he was younger.

Tony walked over and scooped his young son into his arms, a slight whirl coming from his artificial left arm. "Looks can be deceiving, mini me. Grandpa Spangles is ancient! Captain Steve here was even named after Grandpa Spangles, which PROVES that Spangles was born first!" Tony tried to explain.

"Huh?" Morgan questioned, squishing his brows together in confusion.

Peter was only half listening to the exchange between Tony and Morgan. He was too busy studying the police captain. The man definitely looked like he was in desperate need of rest, and Peter could hear the man's heart beating wildly in his chest. He also didn't miss the sad look that crossed his features at the sight of Morgan. A look that seemed uncharacteristic on the face of a man known for his love of children, especially kids who reminded him of his grandson, Anthony. "Are... are you okay, sir?'" Peter finally asked, trying to get the police captain's attention.

Jenkins just stared at Morgan and Tony. Morgan wrapped his small hand tightly in Tony's shirt, carefully scrutinizing the police captain from the safety of his father's arms. Tony finally took in the entirety of Jenkins' appearance. "Jenkins... you alright? Man, you look like you've been through fuc..." he stopped and looked at Morgan, "... freaking heck!" It wouldn't have been the first time that he cursed in front of Morgan, but Pepper would kill him if Morgan started running around using THAT particular word... again.

Jenkins still seemed frozen, gazing at Morgan and appearing... lost.

"Ahem..." Tony said. "Earth to Jenkins... you in there, Captain Blue Blood?"

When there was still no response, Peter pressed on, "Captain Jenkins... what brings you here?" Peter had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Somehow he knew. "Sir... is your family alright?"

The captain finally looked away from Morgan and let his gaze fall on Peter's face. His eyes were brimming with tears as he spoke, "No... they took him." He turned his gaze back to Tony and his son.

Morgan clutched his father's shirt even tighter as Tony gripped the boy a little tighter by some fatherly instinct to keep his own boy safe. "Took who?" Tony asked. "What's going on, Jenkins?"

Steve Jenkins let a tear fall down his cheek as he turned his gaze to Iron Man, "They took my grandson, Stark. They took Anthony..." He looked back and forth between the heroes, "...and I desperately need your help. You're the only ones who can help me."

Tony gripped Morgan even tighter as he looked over at Peter. A silent exchange went between them. Five years ago, Steve Jenkins helped get Peter Parker to safety. Five years later, Peter Parker was ready to return the favor.

God help anyone who stood in Spider-Man's way now. Spider-Man used his power for good, and the bad guys didn't stand a chance.

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**A/N: Who took Anthony Jenkins? Just how is it that Captain Jenkins believes that our favorite heroes can help him? Stay tuned to find out! And be prepared to meet a BAMF Spider-Man who doesn't like it when innocent kids are put in danger!**


	2. We Will Help You

**A/N: I hope you guys like this story so far. In my previous stories, I've put Peter through the ringer, so I thought it was about time that I let him have the chance to step up as the hero. As you probably noticed in prologue, this fic also holds some hints as to what I think could happen in Endgame, yet still the story is still overall AU. **

**Again...Marvel owns the heroes. I just own the characters who wish to be as cool as those heroes.**

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_"They took my grandson, Stark. They took Anthony..." He looked back and forth between the heroes, "...and I desperately need your help. You're the only ones who can help me."_

Tony clutched his young son in his arms as he replayed the police captain's words in his head. It was no wonder the older man looked so lost. Tony swallowed, "What do you mean, Jenkins? Who took Anthony? How?"

Before Jenkins could answer that question, Peter chimed in, "Wait... just, hold on." Peter stepped forward and reached for Morgan, "Hey buddy, how would you like me to see if Uncle Happy can take you down to have an early lunch with your mom, huh? I heard there's some yummy grilled cheese sandwiches just for you."

Tony realized what Peter was doing and felt embarrassed that he didn't think of it first. What kind of father would let his little boy hear a conversation about another boy being taken? "Right..." Tony said. "Morgan... buddy... I think your mom would love to have lunch with you. FRIDAY... notify Happy that Morgan is ready to get some lunch with his mom."

"Will do, sir," The AI responded.

Morgan looked back and forth between his father and Peter, looking a little confused and concerned about the sudden change. "But I want to finish playing Legos with Pete!" He whined. "Why do I need to have lunch now?"

"Because grilled cheese is your favorite!" Peter answered, giving the nearly 4-year-old boy a bright smile.

Morgan returned the smile, "Grilled cheesies are my favorite! Can we finish building later, Peter?"

"Of course, little man!" Peter assured him.

"Promise?" The boy demanded, sticking out his lower lip for good measure.

"I promise!" Peter told him. He added a hurt look to his face and said, "Has your big brother ever lied to you?"

Morgan shook his head, "Never!"

Tony kissed the side of his son's head as Happy stepped into the room, "Of course... Big bro doesn't know how to be anything other than honest. He's too much of a goody two shoes!"

Peter smirked at Tony and shook his head.

Happy stepped closer, "Everything alright here?" He looked at the three men in the room and didn't fail to notice the look of dismay on Jenkins' face. "Any reason FRIDAY told me to get my favorite little Stark for lunch so soon?"

"It's fine, Happy," Tony explained. "The big kids just need a moment to talk. We'll get something to eat later. Let Pepper know I'll call her as soon as I can and that everything is okay. I know how she worries." Ever since Tony helped to reset the timeline, Pepper worried and fussed over Tony. She didn't want him to get involved with too much anymore. It was as if she feared that he might destroy himself for good.

"Alright," Happy said. "Morgs and I will be downstairs. I'm just a call away if you need me."

"Thanks Happy!" Tony told his friend.

Happy didn't need any further prompting. He could tell that Tony needed him to remove Morgan so that the adults could speak more freely. However, the man had to keep up his reputation as the grumpy employee. As they left, he said to Morgan, "Too bad Uncle Rhodey hangs out at the Pentagon all the time! Maybe he could come around and play babysitter more often, huh?"

Morgan didn't really answer Happy. Instead he gave a friendly wave as he made his way onto the elevator, and the other men quietly watched him leave.

"He looks just like you," Jenkins commented, looking somehow even sadder.

"Thanks," Tony commented.

"Thank god he has Pepper's personality," Peter teased, earning a glare from Tony.

Jenkins shook his head, "Just like Anthony... looks like David, but..." the man choked back a sob, "... he has his mother's brains."

"Shit!" Tony cursed freely, realizing that he needed to focus on his friend's problem. "Captain, I think you should sit down before you fall down. Tell us what's going on."

"I CAN"T SIT DOWN!" Jenkins protested, beginning to pace suddenly. He lifted his hands to his head in frustration, continuing to fight the tears that wanted to fall.

Peter stepped towards their friend, trying to steady him, "It's okay... tell us how we can help." He stopped in front of the captain and put his hand on the older man's shoulder. "We're listening," he added.

Captain Jenkins stopped and studied Peter for a moment. There was a look of respect and awe as he studied the young man in front of him, "God... look at you..." he said, shaking his head a little. "... You look so... so..." he shrugged a little, trying to find the right words. "... sure of yourself. More confident and grown up, I suppose."

Peter looked over to Tony, feeling unsure of how to respond to the police captain's observation and sudden change of subject.

"Uh... yeah, well... I've grown up a lot since you first met me, I guess," Peter commented.

The captain nodded, but it was Tony who spoke next. "Okay, seriously! The suspense is killing me, Jenkins! What the hell is going on?!"

Jenkins snapped out of his momentary stupor and seemed to come back to himself. "Right... sorry." The man began to pace again. "Do you remember the criminal group I was telling you about, Stark? The ones we were trying to watch closer? I asked you to help us with some advanced methods of surveillance..."

"Yeah," Tony recalled, "I hooked you up with some of those tiny, remote operated drones of mine. How does that connect with your grandson?"

"I'm getting to that!" Jenkins snapped. "I'm trying to tell you!"

"Alright," Peter stepped in, trying to keep the captain focused. "So you used the drones to go after a criminal group? Organized crime or something?"

Jenkins nodded, "Human trafficking."

"Oh no..." Tony muttered under his breath.

"We were getting close," Jenkins continued, "and somehow they knew we were getting close!" He paced some more, rubbing his chin. "About 5 days ago, I got a text telling me to 'back off or else'... I knew it was from them! I knew it!"

"What did you do?" Peter asked.

"Nothing!" Jenkins said, throwing his hands in the air. "I didn't do a damn thing! I ignored it... celebrated the text as a victory even! They were getting nervous, and I felt like we finally had everything that we needed to go in and take them down!"

The room was silent for a moment, "And then..." Tony prompted.

"And then... " Jenkins continued, swallowing a little before he looked up at Tony. "We went in... raided the building we knew they were using as their base of operations. But..." Jenkins shook his head, "... when we arrived, the place was empty. I mean EVERYTHING that we had seen on our surveillance footage was gone! Everything except this note..."

Tony stepped forward and grabbed a bag marked with the word "EVIDENCE" on the front. Inside was a note. As Tony took a hold of the bag, Peter stepped over so that he could also see what was inside. The note read, _"Isn't it about time to pick up the kids from baseball practice? Better not be late."_

Peter and Tony furrowed their brows in confusion, looking to Jenkins for an explanation. "Anthony and his friends play for a youth baseball league. It was about time for the practice to be over," he explained. "I called David immediately. He picked up..." Jenkins choked on a soft sob, "... He was frantic. He told me Anthony and his friends weren't at the baseball field. The coach was dead. We rushed over there as fast as we could..." Jenkins pulled another evidence bag from his pocket. "...a knife was holding this note in place on the coach's body."

Tony took the second note from the man's hands. He briefly wondered how the captain had managed to bring both pieces of key evidence to him, but he pushed that thought aside. The second note was covered in blood and read, _"I told you to back off. I guess now your grandson and his friends will pay the price." _

"When did this happen?" Peter asked.

"Yesterday," Jenkins answered. "We've been desperately trying to track down these guys ever since! It shouldn't be this hard!" Jenkins scrubbed his hands over his face, "10 kids! They took 10 kids, including my grandson! How in the hell do these ASSHOLES disappear with 10 kids!?" Jenkins let out a cry of despair, "10 boys! Ages 9 to 12... how do I explain this to their families? How do I tell them that I let their children disappear... to be sold off like..." the man couldn't even finish the sentence. He just cried, "This is all my fault!"

This time it was Tony who put a steadying hand on the man's shoulder, "Don't do that to yourself! Blaming yourself won't help..." He tightened his grip and Jenkins lifted his eyes to look at him. "... You were right to come here. I'm just sorry we couldn't have helped you sooner."

Jenkins pulled away from Tony's hand, "Is that your way of telling me I'm too late? You telling me that I shouldn't have gone after these goons without more assistance from the Avengers? These weren't aliens or international terrorists! We were working with the FBI... this should NOT have happened!"

"Woah, woah..." Peter protested, "...That's not what Mr. Stark was trying to say."

"Steve, please..." Tony tried.

But Jenkins continued. The man was beside himself and acting irrationally, "Because it's hard, you know! It's hard to know _when_ we're supposed to seek out help from the Avengers! I'm sure you could do better, but DAMN IT... we should be able to do more on our own! There was a time when people could rely on law enforcement, but now..." Jenkins finally sunk into a nearby chair, seeming to deflate. "... now I have to tell a bunch of parents, including my own son, that they may never see their boys again!"

Peter went over and knelt down in front of the man, "Okay listen... there was a lot to take in just then, but let me try to address some of it. First of all, I agree with Mr. Stark... you cannot blame yourself. Second, we know it's not easy for law enforcement to figure out when to reach out to us... and we're sorry for that. Third, you have proven time and time again that you can protect the citizens of New York. This time just feels worse because it's hitting so close to home for you." Jenkins looked up at Peter, clearly letting his words sink in. "And Last... you do NOT need to tell these parents that they will never see their boys again."

"Peter's right," Tony chimed in. "That's really why you came to us, isn't it? You came here now so that we could help you, and it's not too late. We can't even be sure that it would've helped if you had come here sooner. Who knows... it could've made things worse! You're here now, and we will do whatever we can to get the boys back.

Jenkins wiped away some of the tears from his eyes. "You're right. Tony... Peter... I'm sorry. I'm not myself right now. I just... I just didn't know where else to turn! The FBI agents on the case are shutting me out... telling me I'm too close to this. But... I think they will work with you. I feel like we can give people hope if they know that some of the Avengers are on the case. So... you'll do it, then? You'll help me find Anthony and the other boys?"

"Of course we will!" Peter insisted. "We can't let these people get away with this! As far as I'm concerned, human traffickers are the worst terrorists of all!"

"That's right," Tony agreed. "You tell the FBI... tell them the Avengers are ready to help. Our intelligence team works mainly out of the tower here anyway. Our resources will help us find these bastards. And they WILL answer for their crimes once and for all!"

For the first time since his arrival, Captain Jenkins showed signs of relief on his face. "Thank you... both of you." Another look appeared on his face next, and it was a look of unbridled fear. A look that came to a man as he contemplated the reality of his worst fear coming true, "I can't lose them." He looked up at the two Avengers, "It wouldn't just be Anthony. If anything happens, I'll lose them both... my grandson and my son! David will never forgive me if..." Again he couldn't finish the thought. "I can't stand to lose them." He looked at Tony, "Do you have any idea... what it would be like to lose a child?"

_"Please, sir! I don't wanna go!" _The words were forever burned in Tony's brain, right alongside of the vision of Peter fading away to nothing.

Peter noticed that haunted look appear once again on his father's face (and yes... Tony was a father to him). There was just no better word to describe their relationship. The man had nearly let himself get torn apart to save his life and bring him back.

Tony cleared his throat. "I have a pretty good idea," he told Jenkins. "And we're not going to let that happen to you. Not to you, your son, or to any of the other parents."

Tony began to walk towards the elevator. "Let's go... we'll get the others." He held up the evidence bags, "We have our first clues right here. I'm sure Barton and Romanoff can get something from this."

Peter stood and took hold of Jenkins elbow, lifting the man to his feet. "Yeah... we'll start right away. And then..." Peter added, "... you need to get some rest. Something tells me that you haven't slept in awhile."

"But..." Jenkins began to protest, "I can't..."

"You CAN," Peter said, "You're no good to anyone in this condition. We'll get things moving, fill in your team and your family, and then you need to rest!"

Jenkins allowed himself to be pulled into the elevator. They were probably right. He had barely slept the night before the raid, and he worked all through the previous night desperately trying to find some clue as to where the boys were taken. He was beyond exhausted. He finally had hope that something could be done and a clue could be found. He supposed that, with this new hope, he could allow himself some rest. He could trust his friends to get his grandson back.

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Twenty minutes later, Tony and Peter were working with Natasha, Clint, and Bucky in the command center. Bruce had escorted Jenkins to the med bay to see Dr. Cho. He hoped the woman would give the man something that would force him to rest a little. Jenkins had notified the FBI of the Avengers' assistance, and there were agents and officers on their way to collaborate with them and formulate a plan.

From what Tony could tell, the lead agent wasn't thrilled. Jenkins had gone rogue by coming to them with the evidence. However, Special Agent Ella Dean was willing to overlook the transgression for the sake of the missing boys.

The Avengers, however, did not want to waste time. The immediately began to analyze the evidence and access videos and satellite images that might help them figure out how the boys were taken from that baseball field. They would fill in the FBI and police when they arrived.

The human trafficking group was led by a man named Victor Greene. Greene had built up a business and a name for himself by making people disappear and selling them quickly. Law enforcement struggled to understand how they took people and moved them so fast. They had made considerable progress by finding their base and planning the raid, but everything just seemed to disappear as fast as their victims. The Avengers needed to help the police and FBI find answers quickly before more innocent people (primarily the boys) disappeared for good.

Upon Tony's request, FRIDAY had analyzed the notes that Jenkins brought. "Sir, I cannot find anything useful. The paper is from a standard note tablet that can be purchased from over 100 stores in the city. The words are written with a permanent marker that can be found in just as many stores. The blood on the second piece of evidence belongs to one man, Thomas Smythe. Smythe was the baseball coach, and he appears to have been a highly respectable man in the community. There would be no reason to believe that he was involved in any way." As FRIDAY discussed the baseball coach, pictures of the man appeared. He was a clean-cut and respectable-looking man. He was a substitute teacher, newly married if his wedding pictures were any indication. He volunteered his time and likely dreamed of getting a full-time teaching job and coaching a school team someday. Sadly, the man would never get the chance.

"He tried to protect them," Natasha said, pulling up images she found from the time of the attack. The images showed armed men storming the baseball practice and surrounding the frightened boys. The coach appeared to launch himself at the attackers, who grabbed him and stabbed him repeatedly. The final image showed the man laying on the field, bloody and battered, with a note stabbed to his shoulder.

"Bastards!" Clint spat. As a father, Clint was disgusted. He had originally planned to be at the tower only for the day. He was hoping to get back to his family for an overdue vacation, but this crime caught his attention. He wouldn't leave until these children were reunited with their families.

Bucky studied the screens from behind. The former assassin split his time between the tower and the compound. He was typically with Rogers, but he was starting to spend more and more time at the tower to help Natasha with her missions. Apparently, the former winter soldier was an effective spy and had skills when it came to obtaining difficult intel. "There were other civilians nearby. It looks like the fled the scene." He looked at Natasha, "Can you capture any images we have of their faces? I can work with the FBI and police to see if they were all interviewed. We need to know if they saw or heard anything useful."

"I'm sending it to you..." Natasha was typing away, "... right now." Bucky's STARKphone buzzed, indicating that he had received the information. It had taken him awhile to adjust to the new technology, but he was pleased to have access to so much information from the palm of his hand.

"I'd like to see the crime scene," Clint said. "If I can get a look around, I might see something. None of this makes sense... it's like these guys materialized out of thin air!"

Peter nodded his head next to Tony, "Like they stepped out of a portal or something."

"You think I should call Strange? Maybe one of these guys went to the same clown school as he did." Tony said, seizing the opportunity to poke fun at the sorcerer.

"It couldn't hurt," Natasha said. "If anything, he can at least tell us if these guys are somehow using the mystic arts or traveling through some other facet of reality."

"Wouldn't that just be great!" Clint shook his head. "If that is the case, who knows in what dimension these guys might be hiding those kids!"

Peter groaned, "Let's not even go there." He seemed thoughtful for moment. "There could be another possibility," he said, "Could this be the work of Phineas Mason? The guy who worked with Toomes?"

"The Tinkerer?" Tony questioned thoughtfully. "I guess it's worth checking out."

Natasha nodded, continuing to type away, "Mason hasn't been on our radar lately, but that does not mean he isn't still out there supplying the bad guys with things they have no business using."

"Right... I'll call Strange. Pete, maybe you can help these guys find out just where Mason is these days," Tony said.

Peter agreed, "That shouldn't be a problem."

Before Tony could pull out his phone, FRIDAY was heard saying, "Boss, law enforcement officers have arrived. Shall I have Mr. Hogan escort them to this floor?"

Tony sighed, "Yeah, FRI. That should be fine. We're going to need to play nice, I think. This was their case first, and many of these people will be taking this case personally since they work with Jenkins. We need to partner with them, and I'd rather we keep the base of operations here at the tower. We don't have time to take our resources to them.

"Right away, sir. Mr. Hogan is directing them to the elevator now," the AI confirmed.

Tony stepped to the side to call Strange quickly, and Natasha forwarded some of the footage to the sorcerer as well. Barton was next her, looking for any sign of Phineas Mason. "You may be on to something, Spider-Kid," Clint said. "It's been quiet... too quiet. Mason may be laying low for a reason. If he is supplying modified alien tech to criminals again, we'll need to find him... and soon." No matter how old Peter was, he believed Barton would always call him Spider-Kid. The man rarely missed an opportunity to tease Peter, which Peter knew now to be the man's way of showing he liked someone.

"Sounds like we'll be busy," Bucky smiled a little at the thought. The man preferred to be busy. Peter figured Bucky probably felt frozen again if he sat still for too long.

The elevator arrived and a handful of FBI agents and police officers stepped out when the doors opened. Many of them looked around starstruck, seeming unable to believe that they were actually working out of the Avengers Tower with the Avengers themselves. One woman, however, appeared to be all business. Peter assumed that she was likely the agent in charge.

He assumed correctly, "My name is Special Agent Dean. Who, may I ask, is in charge here?" The woman was tall and looked to be in her mid forties. She had long blonde hair that was tied back neatly in a ponytail. She was an attractive woman with an heir of professionalism that told the others in the room that she had earned her place as a leader.

Tony tried to wave from his conversation with Strange on the phone, wanting to indicate that he was in charge. However, it was Natasha who spoke first. "You like to say you're in the Reserves, remember Tony?" she called to him, earning a frown in protest. Tony Stark always considered himself to be the man in charge, Reserves or not. Regardless, Natasha stood and presented her hand to the agent, "Natasha Romanoff. I'm happy to share what we have so far."

The agent finally showed subtle signs of being starstruck but quickly brushed that away, "Er...umm... Ms. Romanoff, it's a pleasure to work with you! My team is ready to go." She looked around a moment, "I don't see Captain Jenkins. Please tell me he hasn't run off on his own again."

Tony had finished his call and returned to join them, "We sent Jenkins to be put down for his nap time. He was escorted by the Hulk, so he really didn't have any other choice in the matter."

Agent Dean blinked in surprise, "Yes... that was no doubt convincing."

Natasha shook her head a little, "Dr. Banner wasn't sporting any green skin at the time, so it was all rather civil. We convinced him that his grandson needed him well-rested."

"That makes sense," Agent Dean nodded. "My team and I already took our rest breaks. We know how important it is to keep our strength up."

Peter wasn't sure if the others noticed, but he could totally tell the agent was desperately seeking approval from the Black Widow. Then the agent's eyes fell on him, "Do I know you? You look familiar... do you usually work with the Avengers?"

Clint coughed, trying poorly to cover the laugh that threatened to escape at the question. The others often forgot that Spider-Man's identity was still unknown to the public.

Peter shot a look at the archer, "Um... I'm Peter," he extended his hand to her, "Peter Parker." The agent gave his hand a shake and seemed to study him closer, knowing that somehow the name sounded familiar.

"No way!" a voice from behind her exclaimed. They turned to look at one of the NYPD officers that arrived with the FBI. "Peter Parker? That kid from the hostage situation at the bank a few years ago? You still interning for Mr. Stark over here?"

Tony studied the officer. He recognized the face, but it was the man's name under his badge that gave him away. "Hassler." Tony said, "You were in the mobile command center on the day of the bank robbery. Guess you decided to stay with the NYPD and give up on pursuing a career at Stark Industries, huh?"

Hassler looked slightly embarrassed, "Yeah... I could've handled that day better, I suppose." He extended a hand to Tony, "It's Sergeant Hassler now."

Tony just looked at the hand, but didn't take it. "Okay," he responded. He looked at Agent Dean, "I should probably be honest with you about Mr. Parker."

Hassler awkwardly lowered his hand and looked over at Peter. Peter shuffled a little bit, feeling uncomfortable. He didn't like being seen as the kid who had been a helpless hostage. He had come so far since then, and he wanted that part of him to remain in the past. He was also feeling nervous about whatever Tony was about to say. He wouldn't just reveal that he was Spider-Man, would he?

The other Avengers clearly had the same thought because they froze at Tony's words.

"Honest how?" Agent Dean questioned.

"Mr. Parker isn't just an intern. He never was," Tony explained.

"Stark..." Natasha warned.

The room filled with tension and people began to feel nervous and uncomfortable, but Tony pushed on.

"What I'm saying is," Tony continued, "Peter Parker is like a son to me. He was my kid before I actually had a kid! My little boy even calls him brother! Peter is my right hand man. He's smart! MIT smart! So, he will be involved every step of the way. The Jenkins family are friends of ours, so Peter will be a part of this rescue mission."

"Hmm... that explains a lot, actually," Hassler said.

Agent Dean looked uncertain for a moment, but finally agreed. "Alright, Mr. Stark. If you and the Avengers trust him, then I'm happy to have his help. Where do we start? What do you know?"

Just then orange sparks appeared, making a large circle a few feet away. Stephen Strange stepped through moments later, nodding his greeting but speaking first to Tony. "After looking at those images, Stark. I'm not convinced those men were in any way using the mystic arts, but I'd like to see more and try taking a closer look."

"Manners, Doc," Tony scolded, noticing the shocked and startled faces of the law enforcement officials in the room. "You were a surgeon, right? Bedside manner? No? Never heard of that? No wonder you ended up trading the scalpel for balloon animals!"

Strange gave the man an annoyed look before addressing the others, "My apologies. I'm Dr. Strange. Master of the Mystic Arts. Tony called me to confer about the way these men appear from origins unknown."

Agent Dean shook her head, "right... um... okay." She looked to Natasha, "Does that mean that they did not arrive on the scene in a vehicle?"

Natasha moved back towards the monitors, pulling up images and video of the attack. "Exactly. Notice that we first see the boys in a huddle with their coach. Moments later, armed men are storming the field as if appearing out of thin air."

The agents and officers looked at the images with mixed reactions of shock and disbelief.

"No wonder we couldn't find traffic cam footage of a vehicle that could have arrived and then departed with a group of children," Dean remarked. She studied the images that then showed the men attacking the coach and forcing the boys to leave at gunpoint. Again, they seem to disappear... as if walking behind some kind of curtain. "We were going about this all wrong," she said. "How did we miss this?"

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Tony said. "We have access to all sorts of stuff from here."

"So cool..." Hassler remarked before snapping his mouth shut. "I'm sorry... I really need to work on my timing. Of course the kidnapping isn't cool! It's this tech and the tower and..." he motioned to the heroes in the room, "...we're working with the AVENGERS!"

Everyone just ignored the man. "You can Fanboy later, Hassler," Dean scolded. "Right now... our main focus needs to be those boys. We need to know where they were taken."

"Exactly!" Peter said. "Mr. Stark and Dr. Strange can continue to explore any technical or mystical possibilities. I was just getting information from Natasha about another man who might have helped these guys transport around so easily. His name is Phineas Mason. He worked with Adrian Toomes and modified DODC tech to sell for profit."

"Toomes..." Dean commented. "I remember that name. He called himself the Vulture, right?"

"Yes!" Peter said, excited that the woman was able to keep up with him and was giving him her attention. "It's possible that Mason created something that these guys are using to teleport around the city."

"I was able to find an address that may just be his last known location," Natasha added.

"We would be happy to look into him, mam," Hassler told her. "We can take a team to that location immediately."

"I'm coming with you," Peter said.

Sergeant Hassler and Agent Dean looked skeptical. "I know Mr. Stark wishes to have you involved, but do you feel like you have the training to handle yourself in the field?" the agent asked.

Barton snorted a laugh, "Oh... you'd be surprised with how well Pete can handle himself."

If Peter wasn't constantly worried about his identity, he would've been flattered. And he found himself increasingly frustrated about keeping his identity a secret at all.

"He'll be just fine," Tony assured her.

"Alright," Agent Dean agreed. "What else do you have?"

Natasha answered, "Barton and Barnes can each work with a team."

"I'd like to go to the scene," Clint explained. "I have a skill for spotting things that are out-of-place. I'd like to see if there are any other clues."

"I'd like to find anyone who saw what happened. We could learn something from the witnesses," Bucky added.

Agent Dean nodded, "Alright. Sergeant Hassler and his team will work with Mr. Parker. Agent Morfield will take some of our people to the scene with Mr. Barton, and I'd like Agent Rathan to take a group with Mr. Barnes. They can share anything we already have from previous interviews and visits to scene. I'd like to stay here with Ms. Romanoff, Mr. Stark, and Dr... umm..."

"Strange," the sorcerer offered. "And yes... that is my real name."

"Right... we'll stay here and maintain this as our command center as we gather information. Once Captain Jenkins is recovered, I'd like to work with him to update the families as well," Dean said.

"Great!" Tony clapped his hands together. "What are we waiting around for? Let's get to it, people!"

Barnes and Barton left immediately with their teams, not wanting to waste any more time. However, Peter and his group wanted to be sure they had all of the information they needed about Mason and his last known location before they left.

Tony noticed that Peter wasn't really acting like himself, so he pulled his kid aside while Hassler and Dean worked with Romanoff.

"Want to tell me what's going through that head of yours, kid?" Tony prompted.

Peter shook his head slightly, "There's a lot going through my head right now, Mr. Stark... I'm just..." Peter sighed. "... I guess I'm just angry and frustrated with myself."

"Why are we back to the Mr. Stark nonsense, kid. It's me... Tony. The guy you'll even call 'dad' on special occasions!" Tony struggled when Peter regressed to moments of angst and brooding. "Come on, Spider-Man," he said quietly, "talk to your old man... what's got you feeling so angry and frustrated?"

Peter shook his head and threw up his hands in frustration. "That's it! That's just it, Tony!" He lowered his voice, "I am Spider-Man! And what have I done lately to protect anyone? Where was I while some human trafficking ring set up shop here in the city? Anthony trusted that Spider-Man... his favorite hero... would protect him! And where was I, Tony? I was off hiding away as Peter Parker... the Stark intern turned MIT student! How could I be so selfish? He needed me!"

Tony put his hands on Peter's shoulders in an attempt to both steady him and bring him comfort. "Kid... you're going to make me run through this like you did with Jenkins earlier, aren't you? First of all, you going to school didn't cause a human trafficking ring to set itself up here in the city. Don't forget that Avengers Tower is here in the city, too. We missed it, so that doesn't need to be something that you feel guilty about. Second, you are not hiding away as Peter Parker. You are much smarter than me, Pete. Your aunt and closest friends are protected from Spider-Man's enemies, so it's not selfish to keep that secret. And last of all, Anthony's favorite hero is here... right now! This is the time when Anthony Jenkins needs Spider-Man the most... right now! And I know that you WILL help him. So, ease up on yourself, okay?"

Peter didn't look convinced. He needed Tony to understand, so he pulled out the name reserved for the man on special occasions. "Dad..." Peter looked in the other man's eyes. "... I know you and Aunt May want me to have this education. I wanted it, too... but I also NEED to be Spider-Man. I'm not just an average guy with an average future! I need to find a better balance! I feel like I have been neglecting my responsibilities as Spider-Man and replacing them with my responsibilities as Peter Parker!"

"I get that, kid. I do, but..." Tony studied his kid carefully, wanting to find the right words. "You're almost done with school. You've excelled and can graduate early if you want. After that, you'll be able to find the balance you want!"

"Will I?" Peter challenged. "As long as Peter Parker and Spider-Man are separate people, that balance is a fantasy!"

"What are you saying, Pete?" Tony asked, giving the young man's shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"I'm saying that people need me as Spider-Man. They need Peter Parker to be Spider-Man. I'm not sure that it's realistic for me to keep Spider-Man's identity a secret anymore," Peter explained. "I think it's time to tell the world who I really am."

Tony's breath caught in his throat. Secretly, he was glad to have Peter's identity as a secret. He felt like he could worry about the kid less if people didn't know. He wasn't sure if he could protect him if they all knew. The idea scared him. Before now, he just never realized _how much_ it scared him. "Pete..." Tony said, looking his kid in the eyes. "... that has always been your decision to make. It's just... I think _right now_ may not be the best time. I do understand why you feel the need to consider it with everything that is happening, but... I think we need to at least find Anthony first, okay?"

Peter nodded, considering what his father was telling him. "Yeah... okay. But when he's safe, I want to talk about this more. I really do think it's time."

"You got it, Spider-Man." Tony pulled Peter in for a quick hug before they both turned to rejoin the others.

"My phone number?" They heard Hassler say. "Um... wow. Natasha Romanoff, I'm flattered. I'd love to share my phone number with you!"

The Black Widow rolled her eyes, "You misunderstand me. I'd like to send you the information I have on Mason. I just need your... never mind." She snatched the man's phone and proceeded to load the information manually before handing the device back to him.

Sergeant Hassler stared at his phone for a moment before speaking again, "So... you don't want my number?"

"Nope." Natasha said simply. "Don't need it anymore. You have the information on your phone, so you're all set."

Hassler turned to Agent Dean, "Erm... I thought..."

"It was pretty clear what you thought, sergeant," she said, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "If you have what you need, then I think it's about time you got going!"

"Yes, mam!" Hassler said, "Of course. Parker! You ready to go?"

Peter was already walking to the elevator. "I'm way ahead of you."

As the final team entered the elevator, Tony called to them. His words, however, were mostly for Peter, "Stay safe and keep us informed. We're here if you need us!"

Peter nodded to him as the doors slid closed and they set off to question the man who called himself the Tinkerer.

_"Hold on, Anthony," _Peter thought to himself. _"Spider-Man is coming for you, buddy. Just hold on!"_

* * *

**There you have it! Peter's ready to be Spider-Man once and for all! How are Victor Greene and his people moving around without a trace? Will it be the work of Phineas Mason or something mystical? Are Anthony Jenkins and his friends alright? Will Spider-Man save his young friend before he gets hurt? ****Stay tuned to find out. **

**As always...reviews are the fuel I need to keep going. I love to read your thoughts and comments. **


	3. Helpful Clues

**A/N: I really enjoy writing these, so I hope that you all have fun reading them. If you're new to my fiction, I like to write my stories as if they are scenes playing out in front of me. I am often dialogue heavy, but I am trying to add more descriptive detail. I think "To Tell the Truth" is the most detailed out of any of my stories. I have this story mapped out to be about 5 chapters. In this chapter, you are going to get to meet Anthony David Jenkins, the grandson of Captain Steve Jenkins. As I mentioned in my last story, my characters are totally fictional, so any similarity to real people is purely coincidence. And, of course, Marvel owns all of the Avengers!**

* * *

Anthony Jenkins, known to his friends as AJ, was tired and cold. He was also terrified... one hundred percent, undoubtedly terrified. AJ shuddered and pulled his knees up tight against his chest as he was once again thinking about his coach. Coach Smythe was the best coach that he ever had. He was encouraging and loving, but he took the game seriously and really helped the boys to grow both individually and as a team. _"And they killed him," _he thought sadly, _"They came out of nowhere and just KILLED him!" _Tears once again threatened to fall down his face, but AJ refused to give into the tears. He wanted to stay strong. _"Be brave like Spider-Man," _he told himself. _"What would an Avenger do in this situation?" _AJ scanned the room. He and his friends were being kept in something that looked like an old industrial freezer. It wasn't turned on, but the room still felt cold since it was so dark. The were no windows and the only way in was through a metal door that only opened from the outside. The only light in the room came from a battery-operated lantern in the middle of the floor.

For the moment, everything was quiet. AJ's friends were either sitting quietly and fighting back their own tears or had finally given in to exhaustion and were sleeping. AJ, however, had trouble letting himself sleep. He was too busy trying to process everything. They had been at practice huddled together one moment, and then there was a sound like someone was ripping through something thick in the next moment. Armed men were then storming out of... something... it was like a tunnel or a portal...or who knew what it could be. The men pointed weapons at the boys and yelled at them to move towards the thing. Before he could even process what this thing was or where he was going, he was already there... it brought them to this building. The boys tried to ask questions, but no one really told them what was going on. They were just taken to another area of the building and thrown in this room, nothing but a small lantern to give them light and a few buckets in the corner where they could relieve themselves. The boys had tried to hold it for awhile, but they finally gave into to using the buckets. The smell was terrible; like being trapped in a port-a-potty. Surprisingly, none of the boys complained or gave each other a hard time. AJ supposed it was because they were all stuck in the same reality without any other option than to deal with it.

Voices were suddenly heard, muffled outside of the door. AJ stirred and called to his friends, "I think someone's coming." The other boys shuffled a little further away from the door and closer to one another. The boys who had been sleeping startled awake and were looking around wildly.

The door opened to a group of men standing outside. The man in the front quickly brought a hand to his face, covering his mouth and nose. "Ugh! That's effing disgusting!" He called to a man behind him, "Corey! Get the piss and shit buckets out of there and clean them out, will ya?" The one man, AJ presumed to be Corey made a face, but complied to the first man's demand. AJ decided the man in front must be the leader.

Corey entered the room, kicking at the boys to get out of the way. He snatched up the buckets and carried them out the door to be emptied. The first man propped the door open and stepped inside, studying the terrified young boys in front of him. He spoke to them casually as if nothing was wrong, "There... we'll air it out in a here for a bit, shall we? How are my special boys doing today, huh?"

No one answered. They were all too confused by the man's demeanor. He tried to come across as friendly, but the men nearby with guns did nothing to put their minds at ease.

"What?" The man asked. "Not feeling chatty today?"

AJ took a deep breath. He would be brave. He would help his friends get some answers. "Who are you?" he asked, trying to sound tough. He was disappointed to hear how his own voice shook when the words came out, but he tried again, "What do you want?"

Another boy, named Christian, also decided to speak up like AJ. Christian wasn't exactly his friend. The boys rarely got along and were usually butting heads about something. Christian liked to tease AJ about being such a big fan of the Avengers and Spider-Man. Christian was a little older than AJ, and he never believed that he had actually met Spider-Man and Iron Man a few years back. However, in this situation... it seemed that Christian had bigger things to worry about besides poking fun at Anthony Jenkins. "When are you going to let us go? Did you call my dad? He'll pay you whatever you want!" Christian was also rich... and very spoiled.

"My, my... maybe you're a little chatty after all," the man said, a taunting smile on his face. He turned and addressed AJ first, "You're the Jenkins kid, right?"

AJ felt himself sinking back into the wall as the man studied him. Something about the guy made him very uncomfortable. He felt like the man was a snake who was just waiting for the opportunity to strike into his prey. He gulped, "Yes... who are you?" He asked the question again, wanting an answer.

The man knelt in front of him. His eyes were a strange shade of brown, with a yellow-gold tone to them. It made him look even more like a scary predator. "You asked me that already, _Anthony_." The man stressed his name, and it made AJ very uncomfortable. "Your father named you after Iron Man, right? I hear he's a big fan. And your grand-daddy... he likes to pay visits to Avengers Tower to see Iron Man from time to time, doesn't he?"

AJ was uncomfortable, "Yeah... so?"

The man gave a sinister smile, "You're grand-daddy, that good-for-nothing police captain... he got some special toys from Iron Man. He wanted to stick his nose in my business! I warned him... I told him to make his people back off, but he just kept coming." He continued to kneel in front of AJ, leaning forward in a way that was menacing, "That's why you're here. We had to teach grampy Jenkins a lesson." The man leaned back a little before adding, "Oh! And to answer your question... my name is Victor... Victor Greene. But you and your little friends can call me Mr. Greene or Sir, got it?" Greene leaned back on his heals and pulled himself back to his feet, towering over AJ.

"So... this isn't about money?" Christian asked. "Why are the rest of us even here? If this is about AJ's grandpa, what are we even DOING HERE?" The boy demanded, seeming to forget that he was not in a position to give Victor Greene an attitude.

The man just cocked his head at the indignant boy, "Oh... no... it's very much about money. I intend to make some very good money with you boys."

Something about that statement was wrong. AJ did not like the sound of that at all, even if he didn't know exactly what Greene meant by it.

AJ turned to look at the other men as if they could provide a clue about what was really happening. The looks on their faces were... wrong. They looked at AJ and his friends like they were a meal. One of the men was even licking his lips as he studied them.

"Did you... did you call my mommy?" Tucker, the youngest in the group, asked quietly.

Greene turned to the boy and stuck out his bottom lip, mocking him and mimicking his tone, "Did you call my mommy?" He leaned over and placed his hand on Tucker's head. He rubbed a hand through the boy's hair in a way that was... also wrong. Everything about this was wrong somehow. "No... kid. Why would I want to call your mommy?"

Christian huffed in annoyance, "If you don't call our parents, how are you going to get any money? I want to talk to my dad!"

Victor moved away from Tucker and moved closer to Christian. "You mean... how am I going to get a ransom?"

"Exactly!" Christian said.

The man smirked at the boy and said, "I never said that I was looking for _ransom_ money."

Realization dawned for Anthony as he remembered listening into a conversation between his father and grandfather. "You're going to sell us," Anthony said, his voice shaking with dread at the thought.

"What?! He can't do that!" Christian insisted.

"Oh, can't I?" Greene asked. He locked eyes with AJ, "So what... did your grand-daddy tell you about us or something?"

AJ shook his head, "Not exactly... I wasn't supposed to hear his conversation."

"Ah hah! So you're a little spy, huh? Well... it's true. I'm in the business of selling people (women and children, mostly) to the highest bidder! You'd be surprised how much people would pay for sweet little boys like you," he taunted.

AJ felt sick. He didn't really understand it... his grandfather had called it human trafficking or something. The idea was strange to him. What in the world would other people want with woman and children?

"Like... you sell us to new mommies and daddies?" Tucker asked. AJ felt sorry for Tucker. He was an only child, and his parents practically smothered him. His dad had called them helicopter parents or something. It meant that they practically kept Tucker in a protective little bubble all the time. The poor kid had to be terrified.

The man from the back who had been licking his lips just laughed, "Something like that. You'll probably call someone daddy." His comment was cruel and... odd.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, AJ recalled an uncomfortable conversation with his parents about safe touch and strangers. There was something about that man's darker brown eyes. Something evil lingered in those eyes, and AJ knew... he just somehow knew that THAT MAN would touch him in a way that was just... bad. AJ would not let that particular guy anywhere near him or his friends.

Rage suddenly flared within AJ. He stood up and yelled, "You CAN'T do this! You said it yourself! My grandpa is friends with the Avengers! You'll NEVER get away with this!"

Before he could even process what was happening, Greene had him pushed hard into the wall. AJ saw stars. His head hit the wall behind him pretty hard. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to breath through the pain. Greene had a hand wrapped around the collar of his shirt, using his forearm to pin AJ in place. He used his other hand to grab a hold of AJ's hair, giving it a tug so that AJ's head was lifted up towards his face. "Look at me, kid!" he demanded.

AJ pulled his eyes open and swallowed hard. The man looked beyond angry, but he tried to be brave. _"Be like Spider-Man. Spider-Man would be brave!"_ he told himself. AJ tried to remove any trace of fear from his face and stared back at Victor Greene with as much defiance as he could muster.

"Listen to me, kid," Greene said, "You and your friends are never going home. NO ONE will ever find you! I'm sure your grand-daddy went crying to the Avengers, but guess what? We've been operating under their noses for a while now. And do you know what those Avengers have done to stop us?"

AJ could tell the man expected an answer, so he shook his head to indicate that he did not know.

Greene leaned forward, putting his face inches from AJ's own. "Nothing," he whispered. Then he raised his voice, "They have done NOTHING to stop us! They can't stop us. They don't have the same tools that we have. Don't you remember how you got here? We can move around faster than they can find us! You and your little friends will be long gone before ANYONE can figure out where you are!" As he finished talking, he pushed AJ back to the ground towards his friends.

AJ let out an "Oomph" as he tumbled to the hard floor. The other boys just cried and whimpered at the man's words. Some of them clung to each other for support. The poor kids just wanted to go home.

The man that Greene called Corey returned with the buckets. He again pushed by the scared boys and returned them to the corner before exiting once more. Greene nodded to another man who then tossed some fast food and bottled water to the floor.

"Eat up!" Greene told them as he made his way back out of the room. He began to close the door. Before he shut it completely, he called out, "You're worth more to me if you're not starving!"

With that, the door was slammed closed.

The boys immediately burst into whimpers and tears. There were comments going around like, "I want to go home" and "Sell us?" and "I don't understand."

Again, AJ pulled his knees up to his chest. He put his chin on his knees and placed the palms of his hands over his face, wanting to somehow hide himself from the others. He somehow felt like this was his fault... like his friends were here because of him.

There was the sound of paper bags opening, but AJ didn't look up. He just listened. He could hear Christian complaining about how they were getting chicken nuggets. Then he complained that there weren't even enough chicken nuggets for all of them.

AJ pushed his hands harder over his eyes, wanting desperately to make everything stop and go back to normal. They were in so much trouble! What was he supposed to do? How could he possibly get his friends out of this?

He sat there for another moment before he sensed someone moving closer to him.

"Anthony?" The voice called gently. "AJ? Are you alright, dude? Did he hurt you?"

AJ recognized the voice as belonging to his friend Timmy. Timmy had stayed quiet through most if the ordeal, but he was one of AJ's closest friends. The other boy was bound to check on him after the confrontation with Greene. Yet, he didn't really answer and couldn't find the words, so he just shook his head in response.

"Are you sure?" Timmy asked. "He pushed you into that wall really hard. It freaked me out, man."

AJ finally looked up at his friend. Timmy's eyes were full of concern. Timmy was always kind and compassionate. He was a tall and athletic boy around 11-years-old, slightly older than him. He was a good looking kid with vibrant blue eyes, and he often attracted attention from the girls at school. Some part of AJ felt dread as he looked at his friend. He didn't want anyone to _buy_ his teammates. What would happen to a nice kid like Timmy? Or Tucker? Even Christian?

AJ let his eyes drift around the space, taking in the faces of his friends and noting their ages to himself. He started with the friend in front of him: Timmy (11), Tucker (9), Jacob (10), Clark (10), Weston (11), Blake (12), Drew (10), Robbie (10), and Christian (12). AJ himself was also only 10-years-old. Their team was supposed to be 10 to 11-year-olds, but Blake and Christian had just turned 12 last month. Tucker would turn 10 next week. As AJ studied his teammates, he couldn't help but wonder how much they were worth. Just how much did people pay for kids? He shuddered at the thought.

"AJ? Dude... please say something," Timmy begged, clearly worried about his friend.

AJ sniffed and wiped away a few tears that were threatening to fall, "I'm okay, Timmy. I'm so sorry."

Timmy let out a relieved breath when his friend finally spoke, "Sorry? Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Yeah, right!" Christian scoffed. "It's his fault that we're even in this mess! You heard that guy! We're here because of Anthony's stupid grandfather!"

"Shut up, Christian!" Timmy scolded the other boy. "That's not true! We can't blame AJ! Captain Jenkins was just doing his job!"

"Oh, really?" Christian spat out. "Captain Jenkins, huh? Oh right... he goes to church with your family! Maybe you're to blame, too!"

"Stop it!" Timmy yelled. The boy moved towards Christian and shoved him. "You're not helping anything! We can't turn on each other, so knock it off! We need to do this together!"

"Fine!" Christian yelled back. "Then don't push me, Timmy! That's not fair!"

While Timmy wasn't the oldest, he was certainly the biggest. Christian was intimidated by the boy, even if he refused to admit it.

AJ shuffled and decided to speak up, "Timmy's right. We need to get along. We can't turn on each other!" The other boys looked at him. "I'm sorry this is happening," he continued, "and I'd being lying if I said I didn't feel like this is somehow my fault." He saw most of the boys shake their heads, trying to tell him he wasn't to blame. "But... I know my grandfather. He won't give up. And these guys made a big mistake by underestimating the Avengers. They'll get us out of this... I know it!"

Again Christian scoffed, "Let me guess... you think Spider-Man is going to swing you out of here? Just like he swung you around the training area at Avengers Tower when you were little?" He crossed his arms in front of him, "When are you going to stop telling us that fairy tale?"

"It's not a fairy tale, Christian! It really happened!" AJ argued. "I met Iron Man, War Machine, and SPIDER-MAN." He emphasized his favorite hero's name. "They're friends with my grandpa, and I know that they'll help him! They will!" AJ wasn't sure if he was trying to convince his friends or himself at this point.

"Whatever!" Christian said.

Silence fell over the room once more. The boys nervously chewed on their food as they wondered what might happen next.

"Here..." Timmy said, handing AJ some food and water. "You should try to eat something."

AJ took the food and water and gave his friend a small smile, trying to show his gratitude. "Thanks, man."

Timmy nodded to his friend, knowing that he was thanking him for more than just the food.

As AJ began to eat, he took the opportunity to think. He had to try to come up with a plan. Again he thought, _"What would Spider-Man do?"_

* * *

Tony and Agent Dean worked closely with Natasha as the others went out looking for more clues. Bruce had returned to the command center, and he was working with Strange to research and analyze how these men were moving around so easily. Apparently, Dr. Cho had given something strong to Captain Jenkins, and the man was still out cold.

Natasha had pulled up other crime scene photos of previous investigations into Victor Greene's operation. Agent Dean studied the photos as they were pulled up and shook her head, "They were smart," she said. "These other investigations. There was always a vehicle or something that we could track and follow with the drones. It took us back to an abandoned building, where we could see Greene and his men discussing their "merchandise" and clients."

Natasha also pulled up the archived footage from the drones, so they could see exactly what the agent was talking about. Tony shook his head, "They knew you were watching. They gave you a trail to follow."

"And they likely used whatever that portal is to exit at the last moment. They wanted you to feel inferior," Natasha said. "Taking the children probably wasn't even about you somehow getting too close. These guys wanted to rub your noses in their success. Feel superior... and powerful."

"... and make us feel helpless," Dean added. "It always comes back to power, doesn't it?"

Tony nodded, feeling frustrated that these men were using children to play their game.

Natasha enlarged a few pictures. "That's Greene pictured here, right?"

Agent Dean nodded, "I'd swear he has yellow eyes... like a demon or something."

"Could that be a thing?' Bruce asked, mostly directing his question to Stephen Strange.

"It's hard to know for sure. It's possible that something could have made it's escape from the Dark Dimension," Strange answered.

"What's that in his hand?" Natasha asked, zooming in on a stick-like object.

Tony squinted at the item in question, "What is that... a wand? This guy go to Hogwarts or something?"

"A wand?" Strange asked, stepping closer to get a look.

"Hold on... let me just..." Tony was maneuvering his hands over the image. Soon, a hologram was in front of them with the wand-like item on display. "There..." Tony said, "What do you think, doc? We looking at something magical?"

Strange studied the item closely before shaking his head, "I've been through of the ancient books in our library. This doesn't look like anything I've seen. It looks too... primitive to be magical."

"So... not a demonic wizard from Oz, then?" Tony asked. "Damn... I guess I'll text Dorothy back and tell her that we won't be needing her ruby slippers after all."

"Not the time, Tony," Natasha scolded, yet they could still see an amused smirk on her face at the reference.

Clint's voice suddenly entered the command center as spoke into his comm, "Hey guys, I think I found something interesting over here."

"What did you find?" Agent Dean called out. She wasn't even sure the man heard her, but then he finally answered.

"There's a straight line burned into the ground next to the baseball field. It's like someone dropped something like a hot metal rod onto the ground. The grass is burned and there's an indentation in the mud. I think this is where those guys came out." Clint said.

"Is there anything strange about the area above the mark?" Bruce asked into comm. "Any noticeable change in the temperature or anything?"

"Or do you notice an energy to the air... something that makes your hair stand on end?" Strange asked. "A static charge, for example?"

"What they're asking is... Is there a disturbance in the Force?" Tony asked. He couldn't help it. He had watched Star Wars with Peter too many times. And he resorted to humor when he was anxious, and missing children made him very anxious.

"No... no... and no," Clint answered. "Although, my hair is standing on end. But I think that's because I'm standing feet away from where an innocent man was killed and a bunch of kids were taken to be sold off to who knows who."

"Did you see anything else that might help, Clint?" Natasha asked.

"Unfortunately... no. That's all I have; except..."

"Except what?" Agent Dean prompted.

"You might want to check in with Barnes. I did see the White Wolf chasing down some drunk jogger a short while ago. That idiot couldn't even run straight, but he was somehow able to stumble out of Bucky's grasp multiple times. You should've seen it! That shit was hilarious!" Barton said. Bucky's Wakandan nickname had stuck over the years. He preferred "White Wolf" to "Winter Soldier," so he didn't complain.

"Natasha... pull up that footage! Right now!" Tony ordered.

"Seriously, Stark?" Agent Dean questioned. "Can we stay focused, please?"

Clint coughed on the other end of the comm, "The point is that he seemed intent on catching that guy. I think he was one of the witnesses."

"Got it. Thanks Clint!" Natasha said, ending the communication.

Tony was already switching over his comm to reach Barnes, "Tony Stark to Manchurian Candidate, do you copy?"

Dean shot a look in Tony's direction. The woman was clearly confused by the behavior surrounding her, unsure of how these people managed to joke at a time like this.

Natasha, ever observant, noticed the agent's discomfort. "It's our coping strategy," she explained. "When you see the shit that we do, you tend to look for anything to lighten the mood."

The woman nodded. Soon, Bucky's voice entered the room just as Clint's voice had a moment before.

"Let me guess... Barton ratted me out for chasing down the drunk guy?" he asked.

"Was that even necessary?" Strange asked. "How could an inebriated man possibly help?"

"I recognized his face from one the screen captures Natasha gave me. He was probably the one closest witnesses when the attack started," Bucky explained. "And he wasn't drunk at the time of the attack. Apparently, he went and bought a bottle of whiskey after witnessing the crime. Damn near drank the whole bottle before stumbling back to scene for another look."

"Did he tell you anything useful?" Dean asked.

"He was actually quite helpful after he stopped crying," Bucky explained. "Apparently he thought I was one of the bad guys coming to kill him."

"WHAT DID HE SAY?" the agent asked, growing impatient.

"He was jogging by the baseball field when it happened. He said he heard a loud ripping sound before something just opened up near the field. He said it made him think of a huge movie screen or something. He told me those guys walked right out like actors stepping out of a television." Bucky said.

"Interesting," Bruce commented. "Anything else?"

"Yeah... he said it had a purple glow to it, especially around the edges. And he thought there was a guy with a baton or something. He said that thing ripped the hole into the air so that they could just step out. But the best part was how he described the scene inside of that screen-like area. He said it looked like some kind of industrial factory or something." Bucky told them.

"That is very interesting," the agent said, perking up with the new information.

"That's great work, Barnes. Keep tracking down those witnesses and let us know if you learn anything else," Natasha said.

"You got it. I'll check in later." and with that the communication with the White Wolf came to an end, at least for the moment.

Natasha was once again working away at the computer. "Clint sent me a photo of that burn in the ground," she said, displaying the image for the others. "We've seen this before." She pulled up other crime scene photos. "Look... this proves they've been using this method for some time."

Ella Dean shook her head, "We saw this at some of the other scenes, but we could never make sense of it."

Tony paced, wanting to put these clues together. "So... Greene uses some kind of magic wand to rip a hole through space, creating some kind of portal to get him from one place to another. It has a glowing energy to it that is purple in color, and it burns the ground beneath the portal. That information doesn't help us to be proactive about where they are going, though. It will only tell us where they have been." Tony looked at the others, thinking carefully. "What about the information from the jogger on a bender? He said he saw what looked like an industrial factory inside of the screen, portal thing..."

"There are industrial factories all over the city!" Dean replied, feeling frustrated. The others nodded in agreement, knowing she was right. That clue wasn't enough to go on right now.

"What about the purple glow?" Banner asked. "Doc... do you still think this thing isn't using some kind of magic from another dimension?"

"It's hard to say, but my gut is telling me that this isn't magical," Strange answered.

"Your gut?" Tony challenged. "Is that what we're going by? Come on, people! There are lives of children at risk!"

"You think we don't know that?" Ella Dean challenged. "We're not the ones making jokes every 2 seconds, Stark!"

"My gut is never wrong, Tony! Especially when it comes to recognizing the use of the mystical arts!" Strange argued.

"Is anyone aware of a purple energy that could power something like this?" Bruce asked.

"We can't all talk at once!" Natasha stated.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING IN HERE?"

The room fell silent as they all turned to the source of the final question. Captain Steve Jenkins was standing with his hands on his hips, glaring at the other people in the room. "I'm forced to rest, and when I wake up... I find you people arguing about magic wands and portals... and purple energy? I mean what the hell?" The man looked more rested, but he was still clearly worried. "Did you people forget that there are children missing? Are you investigating that crime or are you chasing Alice down the rabbit hole?"

The others lowered their heads, feeling thoroughly reprimanded.

Ella Dean spoke next. Her voice was soft and sincere, "I'm sorry, Steve. We're all sorry. As crazy as that had to sound, we actually made considerable progress. If you come with me, I'll fill you in." She walked over to the man, trying to lead him back to the elevator.

"You can fill me in right here! I'm not leaving, Agent Dean. Stop trying to push me out!" Jenkins argued.

"You're too close to this. We don't know what we're going to find. I'd prefer to have you take a step back. I need your help with the families. Someone needs to keep them informed," she explained.

"You trying to punish me?" Jenkins complained. "You want me to talk to all of these grieving families? I feel bad enough already!"

She shook her head, "You misunderstand me, Steve. You can empathize with them... you know what they're going through!"

"I'm still not leaving! I can keep them informed from here!" he said.

Suddenly, Tony's voice filled the room with excitement, "THE PURPLE GLOWY THINGY!"

Everyone just turned to stare at him.

"Excuse me?" Dean asked, thinking Tony had finally lost his mind.

"That's what Pete first called it... A Chitauri energy core! It has a purple glow to it!" Tony tried to explain.

Realization dawned on some of the other faces in the room.

"We need to get a hold of Peter," Natasha said. "Phineas Mason may be the best lead after all!"

* * *

It had taken a long time to arrive at their location due to heavy traffic. Peter was never so glad to arrive at a potentially dangerous location. He didn't think he could stand another moment in the car with Sergeant Hassler. The man was unbearable. He clearly underestimated Peter, and he spent the whole trip giving him pointers on what to do if Mason or another criminal was there. Apparently, he wanted to help Peter avoid being captured by the bad guys.

Peter shook his head. This would be much easier if he were doing this as Spider-Man instead of Peter Parker. Hassler saw Peter as a helpless college student rather than a powerful super-human. It was grating on Peter's nerves.

"I really think you should stay with the car," Hassler insisted. "It could be too dangerous for a civilian, and it's really against protocol to have you here at all."

Peter rolled his eyes, "The Avengers don't really do _protocol_. I'm coming in with you! You don't know what I know about Mason!"

"What could you possibly know?" the sergeant asked. "I thought you just... know things about the Avengers because Stark is like a father to you or something?"

"Trust me... I work VERY CLOSELY with the team," Peter insisted. "I'm coming in."

"Alright, fine!" Hassler agreed. "But if anything happens to you, my team and I will not be held responsible!"

Peter just rolled his eyes at him again. He looked around as they all prepared to enter the building. They had fit Peter with a bullet-proof vest. At first he wanted to protest, but he decided it wasn't the worst idea. He had learned the hard way that Spider-Man was not bulletproof.

They had parked down the block from the building suspected to be Mason's location. They were hoping to get him through the element of surprise. _"If he's even in there," _Peter thought.

"Okay... we're going in hot," Hassler explained. "Parker... I want you to stay right behind me, got it? If you see any sign of that guy, you let me know."

Peter nodded his understanding and they started towards the building. It looked like an old apartment building that someone had started to renovate but abandoned. As they entered the building, Peter noticed tarps hanging around covering some of the abandoned projects. The tarps moved with the breeze coming through broken windows. The sound and movement of the tarps threw off the team. They were looking for movement from the Tinkerer, and it was amazing how jumpy some of the officers were when the tarps moved. It was as if they expected the man to jump out at them from behind one.

They started to make their way quietly up the steps, checking each floor carefully. They made it onto the third floor, which seemed to be in an even worse state of repair than the other floors. They were making their way towards an old apartment labeled 313, when Peter's spidey-sense flared. He grabbed a hold of Hassler from behind and pulled the man quickly towards the ground.

As he did, a blast came through the drywall only inches above their heads.

"What the HELL?" the sergeant exclaimed. "What was that?" The other officers quickly raised their guns in the direction from which the blast came. "NYPD! Put down your weapon and come out with your hands where we can see them!"

Peter had pulled Hassler to his feet and was trying to signal the officers to double back. The blast has been a powerful laser beam that burned through the walls from one side of the hallway to the other. The drywall around the blast area was even still burning. They needed to be very careful.

Peter's senses flared again. "Down!" he yelled, again pulling officers with him as another blast shot above them.

"How are you doing that?" Sergeant Hassler asked, curious as to how Peter knew the shots were coming.

Peter didn't answer as he suddenly had an idea. He put a hand to his lips and made a face to the officers, hoping they would catch on and follow his lead. Peter knocked a gun from one of the officer's hands and made a groaning sound. The officer who had his gun knocked away caught on, "Ugh... we're hit!" Some of the others followed and made noises and groans as if they were injured.

Peter made his way over towards the door, putting his back against the wall.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hassler whispered to him.

Peter raised his hand to the man, signaling him to be quiet and wait. Peter made his way over to the door, waiting next to it with his back still to the wall. Slowly, the door opened. A weapon poked through the opening as the shooter came out to see if the intruders were eliminated. Peter let the man step out a little more before he made his move.

Before anyone knew what he was planning, Peter grabbed the weapon with an incredible force, ripping it out of the man's hands. He tossed the weapon down the hall with his right hand, while using his left to grab the man around the throat and pull him into the hallway. Peter then brought back his empty right hand and used both hands to slam the man into the wall on the opposite side of the hallway... right next to some of the smoking drywall that was still burning from the earlier blast.

The officers were quick to react. They brought their weapons back up. Some of them trained their weapons on the attacker, while others checked inside the apartment to make sure there were no more threats inside.

Peter growled into the face of the man he was holding, "Phineas Mason! Still playing with things you shouldn't be, huh?"

Mason coughed and sputtered. He had closed his eyes in response to the pain of being thrown into the wall. He blinked them open to study the man holding him. "I know you..." he choked out the words.

Peter froze for a moment, wondering just how much Mason knew about him.

Mason squinted his eyes at Peter, "...Aren't you that kid who took Toomes' daughter to prom or something?"

Peter could sense the officers giving one another confused and questioning looks. They were undoubtedly confused by the odd scene in front of them.

"Homecoming actually," Peter corrected. "But you do have a pretty good memory."

"I never forget a face," Mason added, giving Peter a look that told him the man knew exactly who was pinning him against the wall. "Toomes told me ALL about you right before they locked him up."

"What the hell is going on here, Parker?" the sergeant asked.

Peter sent a menacing glare at Mason, one that he hoped warned the man to keep his mouth shut as he answered, "He's not my biggest fan. I left his boss' daughter and sort of dumped her at the dance."

"That doesn't really explain things, Parker!" Hassler scolded, using his head to nod in the direction of the wall to which the Tinkerer was pinned.

On closer inspection, Peter realized that he had cracked the wall with the force he used to pin Mason there. He cleared his throat a little and said, "Old building... weak walls." He directed his attention back to Mason, "We have some questions for you, and it will be best for you to answer them honestly."

"You have me as a captive audience, Pete, so... I'm all ears," the man grunted a little as Peter put a little more force into his hold.

"Parker..." Hassler warned, but Peter ignored him. Protocol and procedure were of no importance to him.

"What do you know about Victor Greene?" Peter demanded, continuing to use considerable force on the man. He didn't want to hurt him, but he wanted Mason to know that he meant business.

The tinker chuckled some, trying to appear unfazed, "Um... Greene? We're not friends if that's what you're asking," He took a moment to look Peter up and down. "Aren't you wearing the wrong clothes to this party? It seems it might be more appropriate to wear..."

Peter cut him off by pulling him away from the wall slightly before throwing him back again... hard. "We don't have time for your games! You've clearly heard the name before! What is your business with Victor Greene?!"

The officers stood by stunned at the strength of the young man in front of them. Some officers had lowered their weapons while others kept it trained in front of them, seeming to be frozen at the sight of the impromptu interrogation.

Mason coughed some more and tried taking a few deep breaths. "Okay, okay... calm down! I don't really have any business with that guy. We did some business, yeah, but that ended when he stole some of my stuff!"

Hassler jumped in, likely feeling strange allowing the civilian to ask all the questions. "What did he steal?" he asked.

Mason gave the officer a sideways glance before looking back at Peter, "Stuff... important stuff that I was still working on! I hadn't even perfected it yet!"

"You're going to need to be more specific, Mason! Greene kidnapped a group of kids and seemed to disappear without a trace!" Peter pushed the man into the wall so hard that the drywall cracked a little more, but Peter didn't seem to notice. "I think that YOU know something about HOW he did that, so TALK!"

Phineas groaned as the wall cracked behind him, "Alright! Listen.. just... ease up, okay! I'll tell you!" As Peter eased up a little, Mason continued. "I didn't even have a name for it yet! And, for the record, I didn't want to work with Victor anymore when I discovered the true nature of his... business!" Peter began increasing the pressure again, "Ow! I didn't have anything to do with a kidnapping! He stole my transporter! I never would have sold it to that scumbag, okay? I may have sold him some gadgets for cash early on, but I never would have let a guy like that get his hands on my big projects!"

"How did he know what it is?' Peter grilled him.

"He came by when I was testing it... asked me questions about it, but I told him it wasn't for sale!" Mason groaned a little more. The man likely had some bruised ribs at this point. "Like I said... it wasn't perfect. The radius was small, so I couldn't transport real far. But he liked it enough to break in later with 3 other guys when I wasn't here! They took the transporter and a few other things...even wrecked my floor and burned a line when they left. That jerk doesn't even know how to use it the right way!"

Peter shook his head at the man, "You shouldn't have created it at all! Do you have any idea how many people have been taken and sold off without a trace because of that thing? Do you?"

"That's enough!" Hassler yelled, moving towards Peter. "You need to let him, go! We'll place him under arrest and do this the right way!"

"No!" Peter yelled, making the sergeant jump back. Peter's voice was fierce and intimidating. "You can have him when I'm finished," he barked at Hassler.

"He told you it was his device... what else do you need?" the man argued back.

Peter ignored him, focusing on Mason. "You said it has a short radius. What does that mean?"

Mason swallowed hard, trying not to show fear. "It can only be used to take someone to a location that's less than a half mile away. It has little buttons that can be placed in other areas like location settings or beacons. It takes the person to that spot... he saw me use it, so he knew how to make it work. He'd have to set up stops within a certain distance to move around! That's it... I swear! Now, let them arrest me before you bust one of my ribs!"

"One more thing!" Peter demanded. "Where is the video?"

Mason looked confused. "What video? I don't know what you mean."

Peter glared daggers at the man. "You told me he broke in with 3 other men when you WEREN'T home. You must have some kind of security camera set up if you know that. I want that footage!"

Hassler's eyebrows shot up. He had completely missed that detail, and he was starting to understand why Stark considered Peter to be his smart, right-hand man.

"Oh..." Mason said. "You caught that, huh? Um... fine. I'll give you security footage... just ease up... it's hard to breathe!"

Peter finally pulled the man away from the wall and tossed him into the arms of the police officers. "Show them where it is and give them the footage!" he told Mason. The officers quickly escorted Mason into the apartment. Hassler stayed out in the hallway with Peter.

"You want to tell me what you were thinking? Or where that even came from?" the sergeant asked, his tone frustrated.

Peter knew the man was more than a little disconcerted at his display of strength. "Adrenaline rush," he lied.

"Yeah, right!" Hassler said. "You realize there are protocols in place for a reason, right? A good lawyer will get him back on the streets!"

"The Avengers won't let that happen!" Peter argued. "I need to call this in... let the others know what we found."

Sergeant Hassler studied the young man carefully as he stepped away to communicate their findings. Peter Parker was much stronger than he looked. He disarmed Mason and had him pressed hard into the wall faster than some of the best NYPD or even FBI agents in the field. There was more to Parker and his connection to the Avengers, but Hassler pushed that idea aside for the time being. Once they obtained the footage, he and his team would need to secure Mason and return to the tower. They finally had a valuable lead, and the safety of those kids would have to come first. He could figure out the Peter Parker mystery later.

* * *

AJ had finally managed to get some sleep when he was roused by voices outside the door. He stretched a little before crawling closer and trying to hear what the voices were saying. It was muffled, but he was able to make out some of the words. He heard things like: "We need to move them" and "auction" and "interested buyers."

He immediately backed away from the door, not wanting to hear anymore of that conversation.

"Waz go'in on?" a tired voice asked him.

AJ turned to see Timmy rubbing at his eyes. "They're planning to take us somewhere, I think," he admitted to his friend.

Timmy's eyes went wide and he suddenly seemed more awake. "What? Take us where? When?" he asked, his voice loud and laced with fear. The other boys had also fallen asleep. Some stirred, but somehow they managed not to wake them.

"Shhh!" AJ scolded, taking a moment to look towards the door and listen. The boys held their breath a moment. They could still hear talking, but no one opened the door. He decided it was safe to keep talking and sighed a little in relief. "I don't know, but we can't let them move us. The Avengers are looking for us."

Timmy studied his friend, looking a little doubtful, "How can you be so sure?"

"I just know, okay?" AJ insisted. "If they move us, it will be harder for them to find us."

Timmy nodded, "We need to slow them down or find a way to make it harder for them to take us into that portal thing."

"Exactly," AJ agreed with his friend.

"Do you have any ideas?" Timmy asked.

AJ smirked. "Maybe... we'll definitely need to get the others to work with us, though. We have to do it together."

Timmy smiled at his friend, "You mean we'll have to work as a team?"

"Yep," he confirmed. He then gave his friend a sad smile, "It time to make coach proud."

His friend nodded his agreement. AJ wasn't sure if he could get all of the boys to agree, but he thought it might work with Timmy's help to convince them.

He just hoped that the Avengers were on their way. He needed Spider-Man to find him before he and his teammates were auctioned off to the highest bidder.

* * *

**A/N: That was hard to write. I decided that AJ suited the older version of the character in this story (short for Anthony Jenkins, of course). Like my other story, I feel the need to express that there will be no explicit abuse or harm done to these characters. I find that particular crime to be absolutely despicable, and it's a huge problem around the world. It seems to me that the Avengers would not let human traffickers get away. Therefore... this story idea was born after creating some of these characters in my previous story. Plus... it will give Peter a chance to be the hero Anthony Jenkins believes him to be. **

**Please leave a review and share your thoughts! Will Peter get there in time? Will Iron Man suit up once again? Will Peter reveal his identity once and for all? All those answers and more in the next chapters! **


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